Kharg Island hit by airstrikes, oil infrastructure unharmed - Iranian media

US President Donald Trump shared a video on Friday on Truth Social showing aerial bombardment in the ongoing US‑Iran military campaign without providing contextual details about the footage.

Earlier Trump announced on same platform of heavy attack on Kharg Island in Iran.

US Senator Lindsey Graham on Friday praised President Donald Trump for ordering strikes on Iran, saying the action came “in the nick of time” to stop Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

"The Iranian regime thought they were dealing with Biden or Obama, believing we’d beg them not to go forward and give them a bunch of money. They made a fatal miscalculation. The enrichment time to go from 60 to 90% - which is weapons grade - is weeks not months. Midnight Hammer saved the world from a nuclear armed ayatollah. That alone would be the greatest legacy for any president," he posted on X.

"Epic Fury is now designed to break the back of this evil empire. You and your team are smartly making our country and the world safer. God bless you. Keep pouring it on," Graham added.

US President Donald Trump shared a cartoon on Truth Social on Friday, mocking the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as Iran nuclear deal.

The post ridiculed the agreement reached under former US President Barack Obama, which aimed to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief but has long been criticized by Trump.

President Donald Trump said on Friday US Central Command carried out a major bombing raid on Iran’s Kharg Island, adding American forces destroyed all military targets on the island while deliberately avoiding oil infrastructure.

"Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island. Our Weapons are the most powerful and sophisticated that the World has ever known but, for reasons of decency, I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island. However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision," Trump posted on Truth Social.

"During my First Term, and currently, I rebuilt our Military into the Most Lethal, Powerful, and Effective Force, by far, anywhere in the World. Iran has NO ability to defend anything that we want to attack — There is nothing they can do about it! Iran will NEVER have a nuclear weapon, nor will it have the ability to threaten the United States of America, the Middle East or, for that matter, the World! Iran’s Military, and all others involved with this Terrorist Regime, would be wise to lay down their arms, and save what’s left of their country, which isn’t much!' he added.

When Mojtaba Khamenei was officially announced as Iran's new supreme leader on March 8, the moment that followed was unusual.

There was no televised address to the nation. No appearance before officials or supporters. Instead, a message attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei was read aloud.

Five days after being declared Iran’s new supreme leader, Khamenei still has not appeared publicly or delivered a video message — an absence that has fueled speculation about his condition and about who is actually exercising power inside the Islamic Republic.

But for some analysts, the mystery surrounding Mojtaba Khamenei is less important than what it reveals about how the Iranian system actually functions.

“I suppose we can say Mojtaba Khamenei has become something like Schrödinger’s cat,” historian Dr. Shahram Kholdi said during a panel discussion on Eye for Iran, suggesting the new leader appears simultaneously present and absent.

The lack of any public appearance has triggered a range of theories — that he may be injured, that he is being kept hidden for security reasons, or that others are effectively running the system in his name.

Yet regardless of which theory proves correct, analysts say the moment highlights a deeper shift: power inside Iran increasingly appears to rest with the security apparatus.

“This is a textbook case of the tail wagging the dog,” Kholdi said. “The IRGC used to be the tail. Now it’s the one wagging the dog.”

For decades the Islamic Republic has functioned through overlapping networks of clerical authority, political institutions and security forces. But Iranian political analyst Shayan Samii says the balance within that system has steadily shifted toward the Revolutionary Guards.

“In reality, the IRGC is running the show,” Samii said. “These figures who appear in front of the cameras are often the face presented to the public, but the real decisions are made within the security apparatus.”

Samii argues that Mojtaba Khamenei himself has long been closely tied to that structure, acting as a conduit between the office of the supreme leader and the Revolutionary Guards. His sudden elevation to Iran’s highest position — combined with his continued absence from public view — has only made that power dynamic more visible.

“If you are elevated to the highest position in the land, normally you would appear on television,” Samii said. “You would address the nation. The fact that we have not seen that raises serious questions.”

At the same time, developments on the ground may be testing the very institutions that sustain the regime.

Phase Two of the war

Israeli strikes have targeted security checkpoints in Tehran linked to the Basij militia — the paramilitary force responsible for suppressing protests and maintaining internal control.

For former US national security official John Hannah, that shift could prove significant.

“The question is whether this begins to catalyze fractures within the security services,” Hannah said in an interview on Eye for Iran. “Will Basij members begin not showing up to their posts? Will the regime manage to maintain cohesion?”

For authoritarian systems, he noted, the loyalty of the security forces is often decisive.

“One of the crucial elements in bringing down a regime like this is fractures among the people who hold the guns,” Hannah said.

Still, Hannah cautioned that predicting the outcome remains difficult. Authoritarian regimes can appear stable for years before suddenly unraveling.

“It happens slowly, slowly — and then suddenly,” he said.

Israeli analyst Avi Melamed argues that what is unfolding inside Iran may ultimately represent a broader restructuring of power rather than an immediate collapse.

“What we are seeing,” he said, “is a reconfiguration of power.”

That reconfiguration, analysts say, could reshape not only Iran’s internal politics but the strategic balance across the Middle East.

For now, however, the central mystery remains unresolved.

Iran’s new supreme leader has yet to appear publicly.

And as pressure mounts on the regime’s security apparatus, the question facing Iran may be less about where Mojtaba Khamenei is — and more about who truly governs behind him.

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